Welcome to Aled
Edwards' "What They've Done For Us" Health list. Written a
little in the style of Monty Python's Life of Brian "What have the
Romans done for us?" the list aims to provide a reliable record of the distinctive Welsh policies brought about by
devolution (1999-2009). Beyond underlining the distinctiveness of Welsh
policies no substantive attempt is made here to evaluate the performance
of Welsh Assembly Governments or to list the policies brought about by
other UK legislatures but not adopted in Wales. The dates in brackets
normally indicate when the development was announced by the Welsh Assembly
Government through a press release.

Third Assembly
2007-2009

Published a Rural Health Plan
for consultation focusing on how services can be delivered locally for the
benefit of patients. (May 2009).

Developed plans to trial new measures
to help protect NHS staff from violence and aggression and to provide more
evidence to prosecute offenders when incidents take place. (April 2009).

Launched a consultation on plans to
strengthen lymphoedema services in Wales. (April 2009).

Published a distinctive action plan to
identify people at risk of blood borne viral hepatitis and to improve care
for people living with the infection. (April 2009).

Moved to establish a new National
Institute for Health and Social Care Research (NISCHR). (March 2009).

Launched a consultation on a plan to
strengthen community health services to support the care of individuals
in, or close to, their own homes. (March 2009).

Worked to develop Our Healthy
Future, a Strategic Framework for Public Health in Wales. (March
2009).

Announced that patients in Wales
needing kidney cancer drugs that were yet to be approved by NICE, the
independent organisation set up to appraise new medicines, would receive
them on the NHS in the meantime. (January 2009).

Completed the consultation on the
Consultation for children and young people on the development of the
family nurse service for Wales. (January 2009).

Announced that private dental practice
in Wales would be regulated more closely to ensure safer, higher quality
services. (December 2008).

Received the green light to introduce
new legislation in relation to safeguarding and promoting the well-being
of all children and young people in Wales. Royal Approval for the
Vulnerable Children’s Legislative Competence Order (LCO) meant that the
Welsh Assembly Government could bring forward Assembly Measures covering
children and young people. (December 2008).

Sought powers to provide more support
for unpaid carers. (December 2008).

Launched a consultation to explore how
care should be best paid for across Wales in the future. (November 2008).

Published an action plan to reduce
suicide and self-harm in Wales. (November 2008).

Launched a new guide to encourage
mental health service users and their carers to have a greater role in the
planning, development and delivery of mental health services. (October
2008).

Published a 10 year plan to reduce the
harm caused by drugs and alcohol. (October 2008).

Announced that a group of health
professionals and experts would oversee the development of a national
dementia plan for Wales. (October 2008).

Announced the setting up of an expert
group to consider use of drugs on the NHS not approved by NICE. (September
2009).

Announced that an expert group would
look at the issues around funding drugs on the NHS that are not approved
by NICE. The group would report on its findings and recommendations in the
New Year. (September 2008).

Announced a series of debates to
gather public opinion on whether Wales should become the first UK country
to introduce a system of presumed consent to increase the number of organ
donors. (September 2008).

Announced that all 12 and 13-year-old
girls (school year 8) in Wales were to be vaccinated against the Human papillomavirus (HPV) from the following autumn. (September 2008).

Unveiled plans, it was claimed, to simplify the NHS
structure in Wales and meet the Welsh Assembly Government’s One Wales
commitment to end the internal market. (July 2008).

Announced more than £100million
investment in new buildings and equipment to mark the 60th anniversary
of the NHS. It was noted that we can be proud in Wales that the
founding principles that Bevan established are as dear today as they
were in 1948 indicating a particular Welsh emphasis. (July 2008).

Launched a distinctive initiative to
encourage more volunteers in healthcare and to foster closer links
between local communities and hospitals. (June 2008).

Announced a package of measures to
improve hospital cleanliness and give nurses greater power on hospital
wards. (June 2008).

Announced that an independent panel
made up of members of the general public would be set up to decide which
specialist treatments will be provided by the NHS. (June 2008).

Launched a pioneering campaign aimed
at increasing the number of organ donors in Wales. (May 2008).

Announced wide-ranging efforts to
tackle autism and improve services for those who are affected by the
condition. Wales is the first country in the world to have established a
cross-cutting national strategic action plan for ASD that will help the
estimated 30,000 people that are either directly or indirectly affected
by Autism in Wales. (May 2008).

As the smoking ban entered its
second year, it was announced that public support for the legislation
had increased, with 84 percent of adults in Wales supporting smoke-free
public places compared to 71 percent prior to the ban. (April 2008).

Saw the start of free parking for
patients, staff and visitors at the majority of NHS hospitals in Wales
as well as the first anniversary of free prescriptions for all. Wales
is the only UK country to implement the reforms. (April 2008).

Announced that vending machines
dispensing crisps, chocolate and sugary drinks were to be removed from
all NHS hospitals in Wales. (March 2008).

Announced plans to improve care for
the thousands of people in Wales living with epilepsy. It was the first
time such a plan has been outlined in any UK country. Each Local Health
Board will is required to develop a local action plan for epilepsy and
ensure that multi-disciplinary teams are in place. (February
2008).

Highlighted a distinctive service
framework to guide the delivery of treatment to people who have both
mental health and substance misuse problems. (September 07).

Published Fulfilled Lives, Supportive
Communities. The draft Strategy set out the important role that Social
Services play in their wide ranging work with vulnerable people and proposed
a vision for the following 10 years of how social services and social care
would contribute to a better Wales. (August 2006).

Announced a £76m package to support
older people, disabled people and their carers. The package, which
included measures to improve services and reduce the impact of charging
for them, came on top of a £45m increase for adult social services in
2006/07. (February 2006).

Announced that the aim of the Wales
Eye Care Initiative was to “preserve sight through the early detection of
eye disease and to give help to those who have low vision and whose sight
is unlikely to improve”. (March 2006).

Wales became the first UK country to
publish diagnostic and therapy waiting times. (February 2006).

Officially opened the North Wales
Clinical School. The new facilities, funded by £3.5million from the
Welsh Assembly Government, included new teaching and research rooms, a
clinical skills suite, an extension to the library and a common room for
students. (February 2006).

Outlined the success of the pilot
Personal Dental Services schemes which had secured NHS provision for
over 340,000 patients and provided access for 77,000 new patients.
(January 2006).

Supported the introduction of
independent prescribing for pharmacists and nurses in Wales. (January
2006).

Announced that Wales was on the
way to creating smoke-free enclosed public places as the UK Health
Bill was published. The publication of the Bill meant Wales
another step closer to receiving the powers it needs to implement an
outright ban on smoking in enclosed public places. (October 2005).

Announced plans to abolish care
standards fees. (October 2005).

Launched a campaign to raise
awareness of sexually transmitted infections. The campaign, which
coincides with Sexual Health Week, aims to build on the success that
has led to a reduction in many of the common infections in Wales.
(August 2005).

Announced that only patients using
the welsh prescriptions, issued by welsh practices will be able to
benefit from reduced prescription charges in Wales. The measures will
overcome concerns raised that the reduced prescription charges in
Wales could attract 'health tourists' coming to benefit from the lower
charges. (August 2005).

Launched Designed for Life - a 10 year strategy for health
and social care in Wales. (May 2005).

Launched a high-profile campaign to
promote mothers' milk as the best start for babies -"Babies all over
Wales love their mothers' milk". (May 2005).

A new research
and development strategy for Wales was set to reinforce Wales’ position
as a leader in UK-wide research initiatives. The Wales Office of
Research and Development for Health and Social Care (WORD) launched an
event in Cardiff to promote its new work programme – Shaping the
Future. (April 2005).

Establishment of the Wales Centre for Health (2005).

Announced that all Welsh Assembly Government estate will be smoke-free
from July 2005. (March 2005).

Welcomed the inauguration of the Graduate Entry programme for a
medical degree at Swansea Clinical School. The intensive four-year
course, unique in Wales, is run in collaboration with Cardiff University
and is set to create more doctors in Wales. (February 2005).

Established the Accessible Venues
Programme for Wales Working Group to promote good practice amongst
organisations that organise public events and to develop an action programme
that ensured the Welsh Assembly used accessible venues for all public
meetings. (January 2005).

Welcomed the launch of the Wales Cancer Institute. (January 2005).

Opened the North Wales Clinical School in Wrexham. The Clinical
School is part of Cardiff University, Wales College of Medicine. The new
facility will increase the number of training places for health
professionals. (January 2005).

Prescription charges in Wales fell by £1 to £5 in September 2004. In
England prescriptions cost £6.40.

Noted that the new Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) had become
operational. (April 2004).

The Welsh Assembly Government and BBC Wales joined forces for a
social action campaign to encourage people to lose weight by eating a
healthy balanced diet and exercising more. (March 2004).

National minimum standards for small care homes for the elderly were
relaxed following extensive public consultation. (March 2004).

Arts venues across Wales were encouraged to become smoke-free to
help improve our health and enjoyment. (March 2004).

Announced that from April 2005 all couples aged 23 – 39 in Wales who
meet the clinical criteria established by NICE and any social criteria
to be established by the Welsh Assembly Government, should be offered
one cycle of IVF treatment on the NHS. (February 2004).

Announced Health Challenge Wales
as a call to everyone to do as much as they can to improve health. (February 2004).

Decided to use its £22million windfall from Gordon Brown in the way
the Assembly wanted to spend it and not to follow his practice in
England and put it into local government for the reduction of their
council tax bills. The money was spent on renal services and bed
blocking issues. (January 2004).

Announced that a new task group is to be set up to drive forward the
Assembly Government’s Childcare Action Plan. (December 2003).

Hailed the first year of the digital hearing aid scheme, launched in
August 2002, a success as figures showed that nearly 15,000 digital
hearing aids had been fitted across Wales. (July 2003).

Launched the Healthy and Active Lifestyles Action Plan. (July 2003).

Launched the Food and Fitness Health Promotion Grant Scheme.
The Food and Fitness Health Promotion Grant Scheme provided funding for
community projects that encourage more active lifestyles and/or
healthier eating within priority groups. The main target of the scheme
is people within socially disadvantaged groups, with particular emphasis
on children and young people, and older people. (July 2003).

First Assembly 1999 - 03

Secured,
through the Care Standards
Bill, an independent Commission for Care Standards
for Wales as an executive arm of the Assembly.

Moved
to change the structure of the NHS in Wales by scrapping the Health
Authorities from 2003.

Powers
to conduct covert surveillance activities to assist in the protection of
children and vulnerable adults and to counter fraud in the NHS were proposed
to be granted to the National Assembly for Wales and the NHS in Wales in a
draft Order laid today before Parliament by the Home Secretary under the
Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. (September 2003).

Announced that Wales’
Epilepsy Strategy would present an unique way forward. (July 2003).

Developed 'Well Being in Wales'
(2002) which reinforced joint action across policy areas to improve
health and to reduce health inequalities.

Announced a distinctive
future
for primary care in Wales.
Three new strategies which set out how key
primary care services would change, improve and modernise over a ten year
period, were published.The
strategies for dentistry, optometry and pharmacy set out the future
development of the services. (September 2002).

Announced a distinctive strategic framework for palliative care services
across Wales. (July 2002).

Created a six-week free home care
package for vulnerable people leaving hospital. (February
2002).

Extended
free eye checks in the 2000-01 budget for at risk groups: black Africans; black Caribbeans;
Indians; Pakistanis and Bangladeshis; those who have sight in only one eye,
those who have severe hearing difficulty and those who have retinitis
pigmentosa and their relatives.

Introduced
a Care Council for Wales to regulate the social care workforce. (October
2001).

Froze
prescription charges in 2001.

Developed an annual 'Keep Well This
Winter' programme to help older people look after their health. (October
2001).

Launched Wales' first strategy for
education for nursing, midwifery and health. (March 2001).

Appointed the independent chair of the
National Steering Group which oversaw the review of the arrangements for
allocating financial resources to the NHS in Wales. The Steering Group had
cross-party representation and included senior Assembly officials and
representatives of the NHS. (March 2000).

Announced distinctive proposals to
improve arrangements for young people in care and leaving care. (July 1999).